Scotland, a two-time listed stakes winner, may be in position to achieve his first graded stakes victory in Sunday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Forty Niner Stakes at Aqueduct.
The Forty Niner is contested at a one-turn mile, a configuration in which Scotland is 2 for 2, including a win 11 months ago in the $250,000 Cherokee Mile at Churchill Downs. Scotland, a 5-year-old gelding by Good Magic trained by Bill Mott for LNJ Foxwoods, is winless in three starts this year, but was beaten only a length by sprint division leader Book’em Danno in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga.
Scotland was sent off the favorite in the Grade 3 Vosburgh on Sept. 27 at Aqueduct, where he was beaten two lengths by Patriot Spirit, who was entered in Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Crazy Mason, who won the Grade 2 Carter earlier this year, finished second in the Vosburgh.
Scotland finished third by a neck over Doc Sullivan who came back last weekend to run a strong second in the Empire Classic for New York-breds.
Meanwhile, Scotland shows a pretty strong work tab at Saratoga since the Vosburgh.
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“It should be a good spot for him, the distance is appropriate,” Mott said. “We were second in the Forego. ‘Danno’ isn’t in there.”
Bishops Bay reeled off four consecutive victories to begin the year including a half-length score in the Grade 3 Westchester run over a muddy Aqueduct main track. He came back and won the Salvator Mile at Monmouth by five lengths, beating Nelson Avenue, who is in this field.
Bishops Bay finished sixth in the Grade 1 Forego, a race in which he stumbled at the start and then had things tighten up on him in midstretch when he attempted to rally along the rail.
Nelson Avenue comes into the race off a hard-fought half-length victory in the Parx Dirt Mile.
“That horse came out of that last race in very good shape and has been training very good,” trainer Jorge Abreu said. “If [Joel] Rosario rides him the same way he did last time we should be in good shape.”
Coastal Mission won the Forty Niner Stakes last year after winning the Parx Dirt Mile. He comes into Sunday’s Forty Niner off a third behind Nelson Avenue in the Parx Dirt Mile, his first start off a six-month layoff.
Light the Way was fifth in the Vosburgh and came back on Oct. 18 to win a one-mile allowance in front-running fashion for trainer Linda Rice.
Over and Ollie, trained by Rick Dutrow, stumbled at the break and lost his rider at the start of an allowance at Aqueduct in which he was the even-money favorite.
Bold Ruler
Full Moon Madness and Buccherino have traded decisions in their two meetings this year. The rubber match takes place Sunday in the Grade 3, $175,000 Bold Ruler Stakes, where Full Moon Madness may have home-field advantage.
Full Moon Madness, who has recorded four of his five career victories at Aqueduct, is the only horse to have beaten Buccherino on dirt this year, running him down by a neck in the Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park in June. Three months later, Buccherino held off Full Moon Madness and Maximus Meridius to win the Parx Sprint by 1 1/4 lengths while Full Moon Madness and Maximus Meridius dead-heated for second.
Buccherino’s strength is his speed and his ability to withstand pace pressure and continue on, as he showed in the State Representative Stakes and, most recently, the Parx Sprint under Paco Lopez.
“Paco told me he was between horses but he was just waiting for him to move his hands,” trainer Alfredo Velazquez said. “He was between horses, but he was comfortable.”
Velazquez said he has had to manage Buccherino through foot issues throughout his career, but said “so far so good” coming into Sunday.
“If he’s not right, I don’t cross the George Washington Bridge,” Velazquez said from Parx. “When he’s right, we run, when he’s not, we don’t.”
Jose Lezcano, who won a stakes race on Buccherino at Parx in August 2024, will be aboard him on Sunday breaking from the rail.
Full Moon Madness is back at Aqueduct, where he won the Grade 3 Tom Fool in March. That graded win means he carries top weight of 125 pounds, spotting two pounds to Buccherino, who just beat Full Moon Madness.
Kendrick Carmouche rides Full Moon Madness from post 8.
The Bold Ruler drew an eight-horse field, including Nutella Fella, who makes his first start since he finished fourth in the Grade 3 True North at Saratoga in June. Nutella Fella, trained by Gary Contessa, won the Grade 1 Hopeful in 2023 and the Pelican Stakes earlier this year at Tampa Bay.
Subrogate, who finished second behind Buccherino in the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth, came back to win the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel on June 28. The Jorge Duarte-trained son of Arrogate has not raced since. He is 2 for 3 at Aqueduct and posted a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure when winning an allowance race there in June 2024.
Hurricane Nelson, Damon’s Mound, and Bouncer complete the field.
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